this one very unexpected, the glamorous wife of syria's president, bashar al assad. the first public appearance of asma al assad. her first public appearance in more than two years. she and her children have been hiding. alex marquardt on why she ventured outdoors in damascus. >> reporter: in the rare public appearance captured in these photos, asma al assad seems the quintessential first lady. elegant, adored, caring. it was a fund-raiser for the mothers of syrian soldiers, killed in the two-year civil war. 37-year-old mrs. assad had hardly been seen since last year. until then, she'd been a darling of the west. a fluent english speaker born in london, educated in prestigious english schools. her marriage to president bashar al assad had raised hopes for reform. >> many changes have happened. many positive changes have happened. but we haven't reached our final destination. >> reporter: days before the uprising started, "vogue" magazine published a glowing profile, calling her a rose in the desert. >> asma al assad worked very hard for a period of 11 years to promot